What We Believe

The Person of Jesus the Messiah – We believe that Jesus the Messiah is both fully God and fully man, one Son, Lord, and Messiah made known in two natures without confusion, without change, without separation, without division (in accordance with the Definition of Chalcedon [451]). The eternal Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us (Jn. 1:1, 14; Rom. 9:5; Ph. 2:5-11; Col. 2:9; Rev. 1:8, 17, 22:16; etc.).

Atonement – We believe that the forgiveness of sins is accessed only through the atoning blood of Jesus shed on the cross. Repentance and faith in Jesus as the resurrected Lord is the only means of salvation and inclusion in the coming Kingdom of God (Ac. 4:12; Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9-13; 1 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 5:9; etc.).

Nature of Salvation – We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. The righteous will inherit the Kingdom of God in resurrected bodies at Jesus’ return, and the wicked will ultimately be thrown into the Lake of Fire in resurrected bodies. The gospel is not the soul’s escape to an ethereal “heavenly destiny” (Gnosticism), but the “restoration of all things” and the renewal of the heavens and the earth that will commence at the Second Coming (Is.65:17ff; Lk. 14:14; Jn. 5:28-29; Ac. 3:19-21; Ac. 24:15; 1 Cor. 15; 1 Th. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:5-6, 20:11-15, 21-22; etc.).

Gifts of the Holy Spirit – We believe that all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are operative in the church today and are to be eagerly desired. The gifts are to be exercised and administered not in a spirit of self-exaltation, but in love and humility for the edification of the Body and well-being of the whole (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12-14).

Mission of the Church – We believe that the mandate of the church in this age is NOT to establish the dominion of God on the earth, but to boldly testify in word, deed, through sufferings, and in the Spirit’s power to the Day when God will establish dominion through the Messiah He has chosen (Ps. 110; Ac. 3:19-21; 4:29-30; 17:31; 2 Cor. 12:9-10; etc.).

Eschatology – We believe that Jesus will establish the Messianic Kingdom prophesied throughout the Old Testament at His coming. The saints – Jew and Gentile, male and female – will receive their inheritance and reward at that time (the classical pre-millennialist position of the early church). The Messiah’s Kingdom will be an earthly kingdom and government with its headquarters in Jerusalem, and Jesus will rule over the earth in partnership with resurrected saints from Israel and all nations (Is. 2, 11, 40-66; Dan. 7, 12; 1 Cor. 15; 1 Pet. 1; Rev. 1; 2-3; 11:15-19; 19-22; etc.).

Perseverance – We believe that the church will pass through the Great Tribulation during the last three-and-a-half years before Jesus returns, and that this time of testing will serve to purify and sanctify the Bride of Messiah in preparation for His return. These tests will prove whether our faith is sincere or not. Jesus will return at the end of the Tribulation to vindicate His Bride by raising the saints from the dead for the world to behold (Dan. 7-8, 12; Mt. 24; Mk. 13; Lk. 21; 1 Cor. 15; Col. 3:1-4; 1 Th. 5; 1 Pet. 1:7; Rev. 13:10; 14:12; etc.).

Israel – We believe that God still has plans for ethnic Israel because of His covenant-faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, these plans center on Israel’s national salvation through the gospel. “Supporting Israel” means sharing the gospel with Jewish people. “Praying for the peace of Jerusalem” means praying for Jews to turn to Jesus in repentance and faith. The church made up of both Jew and Gentile – the “one new man” – is called to walk in a quality of love, witness, and self-sacrifice that provokes unbelieving Jews to jealousy for their Messiah. The resurrection of the dead, the Messiah’s return, and the restoration of all things are ultimately linked to the fullness of the Gentile harvest coming in and Israel’s salvation (Rom. 9-11; Eph. 2-3; etc.)